Thursday, December 10, 2009

Zucchini Soup

We have some serious soup weather going on here; winter has announced its arrival loud and clear. I rummaged in the crisper for something to make soup with and found one zucchini and one yellow squash. And, helpfully, in the bookmarks folder, I found this, which is how Recipe #23 is Zucchini Soup.

This one is yet another case of restaurant envy; the blog that this recipe comes from is in St. Louis and the blogger was trying to make zucchini soup that is served Stellina Pasta Cafe. As it happens, V and I love this restaurant too, and we shared a huge bowl of this very soup the last time we were there. I'm glad I finally got the opportunity to try this recipe!

Vegetables soups are always tasty but when I think of zucchini, soup is not what comes to my mind, so making a zucchini/squash soup was something new for me. This recipe used crusty bread to thicken the soup and make it hearty and creamy, another new tweak as far as I am concerned.

The soup could not be simpler to make; here is the way I made it. Check the original recipe for exact quantities. My one addition was the lemon juice, and I highly recommend it- it brings all the flavors together.

1. Heat extra-virgin olive oil and saute onion and diced zucchini.
2. Add salt, pepper, chunks of ciabatta bread, mushroom stock.
3. Simmer until the bread is falling apart and the zucchini is very tender.
4. Puree using an immersion blender.
5. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
6. Drizzle with some cream and parmesan cheese and serve hot.

I'm sending this pot of soup to Monthly Mingle: The Soup Edition (and they are all going to be vegan or vegetarian, so I'm excited to see the entries).

Wow. This soup warmed us from the inside out. This is the ultimate prescription for a cold winter night when the heat in your 100-year old dwelling is spotty. Stay warm, everyone!

It's recipes like this one that make me regret that I don't have an immersion blender :( Maybe I'll gift one myself this holiday season. I think I'll make this for our brunch today. If, I haven't said it already, I'm really enjoying this series.

Sorry- the blog was a public one when I wrote this post a few years ago. I am not an invited reader of that blog either so I can't get the exact recipe for you. However, it is a forgiving soup recipe so you could eyeball the quantities and it should be OK.